This week in the NBA

[Ripper 0]

I would like to mention that it is FUCKED up that they are snubbing Iverson from the Olympic team. FUCKED up.

 

I mentioned my thoughts on this a little bit in the other thread, but it's not really a snub. There was obviously a feeling from Colangelo and the selection committee that Iverson didn't really offer what they needed for whatever reason (be it age, durability, attitude or whatever). He had his chance in 2004.

I am sorry, but that is a load of crap. they are offering Carmelo fucking Anthony a spot so the A: Attitude and B: Chance in 2004 is out the window.

 

He was one of the guys you couldn't question if he left on the court or not during the 2004 games.

 

Out of the top 8 american scorers in the league, Iverson is the only one not being asked to play. He is the only american allstar not being asked to play. there is just some bullshit to that.

 

There is no way you offer Chris Paul a spot befor you offer Iverson.

 

And honestly, I would question Bruce "I actually foul people for the entire game and would foul out in 2 minutes of international play" Bowen being invited.

[Dangerous A 0]

Bowen's kind of old, isn't he? I could swear he is close to mid-thirties.

 

There are other guys on the invited list that could lock people up just as good as Bowen could if not better and since you don't need all 5 guys on the floor to be #1 options in scoring, you have so and so become the stopper. I'm pretty confident a guy like Kobe or Wade would lock someone up if they were told their primary function was to lock a particular person up and not worry about offense.

[naiwf 0]

Is it safe to say that LeBron is not clutch in the playoff push yet? Or are we going to credit Larry Hughes' injury with his inability to hit shots in the 2nd half? I'm just curious how many years the "MVP candidate" can stink up the joint in the final 30 games before he finally gets a hit from the media for being a choker.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

No credit for Artest's defense?

[Rendclaw 0]

guard Tony Delk signed with the Pistons as the 2nd backup guard alongside Lindsay Hunter, replacing Carlos Arroyo. should be announced tomorrow morning.

 

Pretty good pickup, I like Delk's play. He's not great but he doesn't have to be, he just needs to be competant for 5-10 minutes a game without fucking everything up the way Arroyo did every other game.

 

Exactly. The guy can run an offense, score the ball and defend. I just loved how a lot of people in Detroit were thinking that Arroyo was the difference between the Pistons winning and losing a championship. Fucking please. People were going out of their minds when he and Darko got traded.

 

If he spent his time passing solidly instead of trying to be the Puerto Rican version of Magic Johnson and not whining about minutes, not to even mention learning to play fucking defense, Arroyo would still be here. But that's okay, he is infinitely better suited for the Magic. God only knows they needs players down there to fill up seats in the O-rena.

 

Never doubt Joe Dumars (except on draft day). This had to be the second move he was talking about, and its a good one. Now all the crying knuckle-biters in this town can shut the hell up. The team is 47-10. That's still an 82% winning percentage. I just can;t see Dallas staying as hot as they have been. As long as the Pistons keep winning 4 out of 5 games, they;re going to be fine.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

WOOOOOO!!!!

 

Clippers set a NBA record by holding the Hornets to only 16 points in the second half

 

Hornets went 12 1/2 minutes without a point. Clippers went on a 40-8 run to end game

 

Hornets scored 8 points in the first four minutes and scored only 8 the rest of the way.

[Dangerous A 0]

Arroyo got a huge head when he lead Team Puerto Rico over Team USA last year.

 

 

Clips are a fun team. With more PT, Livingston is going to be the shiznit.

[alfdogg 0]

Arroyo got a huge head when he lead Team Puerto Rico over Team USA last year.

He must have been reading the message board at InsideHoops and all the threads saying he was going to be an All-Star in '05. I shit you not.

[Open the Muggy Gate 0]

It is so refreshing to see the CLIPPERS finally getting somewhere in the NBA. Great to see them in the playoff hunt this year. Anyone hear wanna make a case for Elton Brand for MVP?

[Just John 0]

I'd like to, but I can't while Steve Nash is still playing like he is. He's upped his scoring, and the Suns haven't lost a beat with some key losses. People said Nash was only the beneficiary of having Amare, Q, Joe Johnson, etc, but without those 3, the Suns are still 20+ games over .500. Meanwhile, role players like Eddie House and Boris Diaw are having career years. That's no coincidence.

 

Besides, Sam Cassell is the real catalyst for the Clippers turnaround. Elton Brand is amazing, but he's been amazing for the past few years and it hasn't gotten that team anywhere. Cassell brings a strong veteran presence and floor leadership which was that team really needed. On a side note, when Maggette gets back, watch out... That 4 spot may not be such an easy advance after all.

[Ripper 0]

You know, Nash is never on the floor with Eddie House.

 

Honestly, I think Mike D'Antoni's coaching style of "shoot it when ever the fuck you feel like it" helps alot of the guys have career years. Boris Diaw is finally being able to be used to his full ability, and basically is being Mr. Point guard at the Center position. His numbers are also the result of the SUns offense. Not to down play Nashs role in making the offense go, hell I still think he might be MVP, but Mike Dantoni isn't given enough credit. Nash wasn't exactly MVP caliber in Dallas.

 

I do think the MVP is a two player race between Nash and Billups. No one else should even be mentioned, except MAYBE Toni Parker every now and then. But seriously, Billups/Nash is the battle here.

 

By the way, anyone notice that Marion has been averaging aroubd 30 points and 15 rebounds for like the last two weeks.

[Rendclaw 0]

Arroyo got a huge head when he lead Team Puerto Rico over Team USA last year.

He must have been reading the message board at InsideHoops and all the threads saying he was going to be an All-Star in '05. I shit you not.

 

I'm not surprised by that, and A, you are right on the money with that statement. He did AI a few times and from there the snowball started rolling downhill. Hell, Jerry Sloan couldn;t reach the guy, which is why he ended up in Detroit, and subsequently Orlando. There will be problem with him there in time, I guarantee it.

[Dangerous A 0]

Shawn Marion has been balling out of his mind since the All Star Break. He has absolutely taken his game to another level, specifically on the glass.

[LivingLegendGaryColeman 0]

You know, Nash is never on the floor with Eddie House.

 

Honestly, I think Mike D'Antoni's coaching style of "shoot it when ever the fuck you feel like it" helps alot of the guys have career years. Boris Diaw is finally being able to be used to his full ability, and basically is being Mr. Point guard at the Center position. His numbers are also the result of the SUns offense. Not to down play Nashs role in making the offense go, hell I still think he might be MVP, but Mike Dantoni isn't given enough credit. Nash wasn't exactly MVP caliber in Dallas.

 

I do think the MVP is a two player race between Nash and Billups. No one else should even be mentioned, except MAYBE Toni Parker every now and then. But seriously, Billups/Nash is the battle here.

 

By the way, anyone notice that Marion has been averaging aroubd 30 points and 15 rebounds for like the last two weeks.

 

Not to take anything away from Nash, but you are right. So many analysts are pointing to House having a career year, but for the most part, he comes in when Nash sits. They may get some more PT together with the Barrett pickup, but still, House is just fitting well in the system.

 

Even through the end of last year, I wasn't the biggest D'Antoni supporter, but I think clearly from this season, you can tell his system is what is making the Suns and Nash what they are. Nash is putting up the MVP numbers, but it is the system that allows him to do. Just one of those "stars alligning" combinations.

 

I think you are dead on with the Nash/Billups too, but I fear that if the Lakers get in the playoffs, even at the 8 seed, Kobe may end up the MVP.

 

Also, Marion was averaging those numbers and got thrown in the game late last night to try to tie a Suns team record for those averages.

[Dangerous A 0]

Anyone watching Mavs/Spurs tonight? Pretty big game for both teams.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Best wife ever

 

 

 

Jazz Notes: Wife gives Kirilenko woman 'allowance'

By Phil Miller

The Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake Tribune

 

Andrei Kirilenko has been granted restricted free agency - by his wife.

 

Masha Lopatova, a former Russian pop star who has been married to the Jazz forward for nearly six years, understands the temptation NBA players are faced with as they travel around the country for seven months a year. And she believes that forbidding something only makes it more tempting. That's why, she revealed in a story in the current issue of ESPN The Magazine, she allows Kirilenko an "allowance" of one night per year with another woman.

 

"What's forbidden is always desirable. And athletes, particularly men, are susceptible to all the things they are offered," Lopatova said before the Jazz's loss to Charlotte on Wednesday. "It's the same way raising children - If I tell my child, 'No pizza, no pizza, no pizza,' what does he want more than anything? Pizza.

 

"So this is the arrangement that Andrei and I have," she said, adding, in the spirit of openness, that she does not have a reciprocal agreement with her husband. "If I know about it, it's not cheating."

 

Kirilenko, according to the magazine story written by Salt Lake City freelance writer Chad Nielsen, has no plans to exercise his "allowance."

"Of course it was a surprise," Kirilenko said. "I'm not planning to do anything. But she said, 'If you want to do it, you can do it.' "

 

Lopatova said she doesn't worry about revealing something so personal, even in conservative Salt Lake City. "Me and Andrei, we're very open people. I barely have secrets. It's not like I'm one person in Salt Lake City and a different person in Moscow. My whole life is on the surface," said Lopatova, a celebrity in Russia who has a 4-year-old son, Fedor, with the Jazz veteran. "I find that people in this country are really interested in athletes and their [families], for some reason. They don't want to know what kind of books I read, but they prefer to know what kind of underwear I wear."

 

Now that the not-so-secret is out, Lopatova joked in the ESPN story, "Girls will be lining up outside his hotel door."

"We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing, all-powerful God, who creates faulty humans, and then blames them for his own mistakes."

 

--Gene Roddenberry

[Dangerous A 0]

Best wife ever

 

 

 

Jazz Notes: Wife gives Kirilenko woman 'allowance'

By Phil Miller

The Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake Tribune

 

Andrei Kirilenko has been granted restricted free agency - by his wife.

 

Masha Lopatova, a former Russian pop star who has been married to the Jazz forward for nearly six years, understands the temptation NBA players are faced with as they travel around the country for seven months a year. And she believes that forbidding something only makes it more tempting. That's why, she revealed in a story in the current issue of ESPN The Magazine, she allows Kirilenko an "allowance" of one night per year with another woman.

 

"What's forbidden is always desirable. And athletes, particularly men, are susceptible to all the things they are offered," Lopatova said before the Jazz's loss to Charlotte on Wednesday. "It's the same way raising children - If I tell my child, 'No pizza, no pizza, no pizza,' what does he want more than anything? Pizza.

 

"So this is the arrangement that Andrei and I have," she said, adding, in the spirit of openness, that she does not have a reciprocal agreement with her husband. "If I know about it, it's not cheating."

 

Kirilenko, according to the magazine story written by Salt Lake City freelance writer Chad Nielsen, has no plans to exercise his "allowance."

"Of course it was a surprise," Kirilenko said. "I'm not planning to do anything. But she said, 'If you want to do it, you can do it.' "

 

Lopatova said she doesn't worry about revealing something so personal, even in conservative Salt Lake City. "Me and Andrei, we're very open people. I barely have secrets. It's not like I'm one person in Salt Lake City and a different person in Moscow. My whole life is on the surface," said Lopatova, a celebrity in Russia who has a 4-year-old son, Fedor, with the Jazz veteran. "I find that people in this country are really interested in athletes and their [families], for some reason. They don't want to know what kind of books I read, but they prefer to know what kind of underwear I wear."

 

Now that the not-so-secret is out, Lopatova joked in the ESPN story, "Girls will be lining up outside his hotel door."

"We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing, all-powerful God, who creates faulty humans, and then blames them for his own mistakes."

 

--Gene Roddenberry

 

 

I also want lots of pizza with a lot of different toppings.

[Precious Roy 0]

Anyone watching Mavs/Spurs tonight? Pretty big game for both teams.

 

I'll be watching. I don't think Dallas can make it to the Finals this year, but they can really show me something by beating San Antonio tonight. That said, I think this is a much bigger game for San Antonio, because they don't want Dallas building up any more confidence. As defending champs it's their job to step up and pimp slap the Mavs back to reality.

[naiwf 0]

LeBron is lucky Flip Murray came to play tonight (11 in the 4th) since he didn't take a shot on their last 4 or 5 possessions. The guy is not an assassin, and if Murray missed that GW 3, their fortunes would be vastly different.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

OMG!!

 

Barkley just said that the Clippers could win the West *

 

*If Duncan is not 100%

 

I thought only crazy Clipper fans, like myself, believed this.

[Precious Roy 0]

LeBron is lucky Flip Murray came to play tonight (11 in the 4th) since he didn't take a shot on their last 4 or 5 possessions. The guy is not an assassin, and if Murray missed that GW 3, their fortunes would be vastly different.

 

I don't know, teams just collapse all over LeBron in the 4th because they haven't been forced to respect anyone else on that team. He can't do anything without 2 or 3 defenders hanging on him. Damon Jones has been a total bust, Marshall is having a horrible year shooting the ball...now they've brought in Flip Murray to be the shooter that LeBron gets open looks for. LeBron still did a lot of good stuff down the stretch, like where he got a block down on one end, then came back on offense with the drive and kick for a Snow jumpshot.

[Rendclaw 0]

Its possible, though unlikely that they can.

 

I'm impressed by their play, considering all the ranting against Donald Sterling I have been doing here over the last year or so.

[naiwf 0]

LeBron is lucky Flip Murray came to play tonight (11 in the 4th) since he didn't take a shot on their last 4 or 5 possessions. The guy is not an assassin, and if Murray missed that GW 3, their fortunes would be vastly different.

 

I don't know, teams just collapse all over LeBron in the 4th because they haven't been forced to respect anyone else on that team. He can't do anything without 2 or 3 defenders hanging on him. Damon Jones has been a total bust, Marshall is having a horrible year shooting the ball...now they've brought in Flip Murray to be the shooter that LeBron gets open looks for. LeBron still did a lot of good stuff down the stretch, like where he got a block down on one end, then came back on offense with the drive and kick for a Snow jumpshot.

 

If they want to build him as the next Jordan he's going to have play like him. If Nocioni hadn't got his hand up on a ball that LeBron threw three feet behind Varejao (sp?) at the end of the game he would have likely cost his team the victory. If he can't get it done in the clutch during the regular season, I don't expect him to be able to do it in the postseason even if Hughes is back. 31-7-7 is nice, but it would be nicer if he played like an elite player during money time. In almost 3 full seasons he's yet to demonstrate that ability. 4-21 when the money's on the line isn't what I expect from a guy getting that much hype, especially when Carmelo's got the best percentage of anyone in the league with more than 10 attempts at winning or tying a game on the final shot.

 

I'd love to see anyone but the fucking Spurs and Pistons in the finals since I didn't watch a single minute of that very series last year.

[Precious Roy 0]

LeBron is lucky Flip Murray came to play tonight (11 in the 4th) since he didn't take a shot on their last 4 or 5 possessions. The guy is not an assassin, and if Murray missed that GW 3, their fortunes would be vastly different.

 

I don't know, teams just collapse all over LeBron in the 4th because they haven't been forced to respect anyone else on that team. He can't do anything without 2 or 3 defenders hanging on him. Damon Jones has been a total bust, Marshall is having a horrible year shooting the ball...now they've brought in Flip Murray to be the shooter that LeBron gets open looks for. LeBron still did a lot of good stuff down the stretch, like where he got a block down on one end, then came back on offense with the drive and kick for a Snow jumpshot.

 

If they want to build him as the next Jordan he's going to have play like him.

 

That's hilarious. The media has unrealistic expectations, don't buy into that crap.

 

He's just barely 21 years old. When Jordan was that age he was still playing for North Carolina. Jordan didn't have his team above .500 until his 3rd full season (his second year he missed most of the season with a broken ankle), didn't get his team to the top of the East until his 7th year in the league. LeBron is still the future of the NBA, he will win championships and MVPs, just have some fucking patience, it's pathetic that everyone wants to jump off the bandwagon already.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

There's more to "clutch" than just hitting shots... although, I will agree that James has not been particularly clutch...

 

And, since the only way that the Kings will be appearing at the Finals this year is if the Maloofs buy them all courtside tickets, I would personally love to see the Pistons and the Spurs in the Finals again; man, if the Pistons could beat San Antonio, that could easily develop into the rivalry that people who think that the league revolves around LA claims is lacking in the game today.

[naiwf 0]

That's hilarious. The media has unrealistic expectations, don't buy into that crap.

 

He's just barely 21 years old. When Jordan was that age he was still playing for North Carolina. Jordan didn't have his team above .500 until his 3rd full season (his second year he missed most of the season with a broken ankle), didn't get his team to the top of the East until his 7th year in the league. LeBron is still the future of the NBA, he will win championships and MVPs, just have some fucking patience, it's pathetic that everyone wants to jump off the bandwagon already.

 

What does that have to do with him being afraid to take the last shot? When he does take it, he's under 20% in hitting it. He passed up 5 chances to win the game tonight, and nearly threw it away if not for a stupid reflex move by a defender. His team was part of an epic collapse last year and was a few seconds away from a 6th straight loss after having a 25 point lead tonight. The guy is a great statistical player but he's disgustingly overrated, and the praise will only continue to ramp up in the future when he starts collecting some meaningless hardware (All Star and regular season MVPs he doesn't deserve). I don't care if you score 40 points every night if you don't get that bucket that wins the close games. Regular season stats, jersey sales and SportsCenter highlights don't impress me, wins do. In the last 30 games of the year it seems like "King" James comes up small a lot more often than not, but then again that's not supposed to count because he's "only 21". I mean, it was deemed blasphemous that he was booed at home after missing 8 shots and 7 straight free throws in the 2nd half not too long ago.

[Ripper 0]

"King James" was the only player on the court for the Cavs the final 30 of last year. He was putting up huge numbers in the first and second half, but of course that is forgotten now.

 

I think alot of Lebrons problem now is pacing. If you watch Kobe Bryant and Tracy Mcgrady and those guys play, they often take the 2nd quarter off. If the team is up big, they will defer more to pace themselves. Lebron comes out like a beast, going after every rebound, every loose ball, leaping out the gym on every layup and jumpshot. He looks a little blown by the fourth honestly.

 

And like Slim said, there is more to being cluth than taking the final shot. If you take the final shot and you are double or triple covered,you are not being clutch if you make the shot or not, you are being a fucking idiot. Part of being clutch is making the right pass at the right time.

 

Lebron will be fine. I think people are making alot of noise about nothing. For every big shot you saw jordan hit there were another 3-4 that he missed.

[naiwf 0]

"King James" was the only player on the court for the Cavs the final 30 of last year. He was putting up huge numbers in the first and second half, but of course that is forgotten now.

 

I think alot of Lebrons problem now is pacing. If you watch Kobe Bryant and Tracy Mcgrady and those guys play, they often take the 2nd quarter off. If the team is up big, they will defer more to pace themselves. Lebron comes out like a beast, going after every rebound, every loose ball, leaping out the gym on every layup and jumpshot. He looks a little blown by the fourth honestly.

 

And like Slim said, there is more to being cluth than taking the final shot. If you take the final shot and you are double or triple covered,you are not being clutch if you make the shot or not, you are being a fucking idiot. Part of being clutch is making the right pass at the right time.

 

Lebron will be fine. I think people are making alot of noise about nothing. For every big shot you saw jordan hit there were another 3-4 that he missed.

 

There are 3 seconds on the clock, your team is down 1 with no timeouts left. You need to win this game to make it to the postseason, or win a playoff series. Which guy doesn't belong in this group. . . Jordan, Bird, Magic, and the modern players Kobe, T-Mac, Wade, Carmelo, LeBron or should I say Flip Murray or Larry Hughes or Big Z or Varejao in the middle of the crowded paint or someone else that LeBron passes the buck to instead of taking the shot to win it himself? I guarantee you that if the Lakers need a victory Kobe will go up 1 on 5 and still make that shot more often than not because he is a clutch player. He's not going to pass it to Odom or Mihm or anyone else on that team and pray that a role player wins the big game. We're not talking a Jordan to Wennington dunk for the 'W'. LeBron will pass the ball to give someone a 20-25 footer and that's why he's overrated.

[Dangerous A 0]

He's 21. He has attempted to take the last shot before. He did vs the Lakers this year in LA and came up short. Give him a chance. Kobe and T-Mac weren't taking and hitting game winners early on either. They had the luxury of being on good teams and weren't being called upon to be the #1 option from the start of their careers.

 

LeBron will be there. Trust me.

[naiwf 0]

He's 21. He has attempted to take the last shot before. He did vs the Lakers this year in LA and came up short. Give him a chance. Kobe and T-Mac weren't taking and hitting game winners early on either. They had the luxury of being on good teams and weren't being called upon to be the #1 option from the start of their careers.

 

LeBron will be there. Trust me.

 

What about his draftmates Carmelo and Wade? They are two of the best at closing the deal. They've both taken teams singlehandedly to the playoffs. That's all I'm saying, if LeBron is so "great" why can't he do the things necessary to win games and take his team to an 8 seed in the weak Eastern Conference? I think Kobe tried taking game winners early on and failed, but LeBron doesn't seem to WANT to have that pressure on his shoulders, and much like Yao Ming I don't think you can teach him to break his passive style of play because that's who he is. It's not like LeBron's ever going to play with another guy who is the primary scoring option so if he's not going to do it now, when is he going to start? He had five chances to get it done yesterday in the final minute and change and passed it 4 times and avoided the ball a fifth time. There were a bunch of bums relatively speaking wearing Cavs jerseys on the court, and he didn't drive all the way to the hole (where you KNOW he'd get the call anyway) or pull up and take a big shot, he passed it to a guy in a bad position or 20+ feet from the hoop each time, that's not a coincidence to me.